March 10, 2008
Jim Laise
WVSports.com Senior Writer
Talk about it in
The Blue Lot
MORGANTOWN--When you lose eights starters several key back-ups on defense, several situations occur:
+You recruit more defensive players, which the West Virginia staff did this off-season. In a class of 25 signees, 15 play on that side of the ball.
+Also redshirts and underclassmen on the 2007 Fiesta Bowl championship roster get reviews and, in some cases, fresh looks. Such will be the case at Camp Mountaineer as spring football starts at 4 p.m. a week from Friday.
"We lost a ton of players defensively. A lot of times new coaches see things in players on the roster you have that maybe somebody else didn't. Also, the guys you have are unbiased about new coaches who may be coming in. But frankly, we haven't seen a lot of some of the younger ones either," said Rivals defensive coordinator/linebackers
Jeff Casteel.
Gone from the 11-2 overall, 5-2 Big East co-champion are spur Eric Wicks, cornerbacks Vaughn Rivers, Larry Williams, and Antonio Lewis; free safety Ryan Mundy; strongside linebacker Marc Magro, defensive tackle Keilen +#!*%, and defensive end Johnny Dingle.
That group allowed only six 100-yard rushers in its last 38 games. WVU is 43-1 since 2002 when many of that group helped the Mountaineers win the turnover battle.
WVU allowed only 18 points in 13 games; an average 113 yards rushing; and 189 passing. The group of eight helped the team intercept 16 passes, recover 18 fumbles, and total 40 sacks.
That's a lot of numbers.
Casteel and his staff, which includes hold-over
Bill Kirelawich, the defensive line coach; assistant head coach/safeties Steve Dunlap, and cornerbacks coach
David Lockwood, have decided to keep rising junior
Zac Cooper at rush end, the position he played in the Fiesta Bowl. He spent the previous 12 games at weakside linebacker. Rising redshirt junior athlete
Nate Sowers, who moved to free safety midway through last season, will remain there behind junior to be Franchot (Boogie) Allen.
Allen slides into Mundy's old starting position. Cooper, 6-3, 225, will occupy Dingle's spot. Behind him are listed rising redshirt freshman Julian Miller and junior
Larry Ford, who enrolled at mid-term after a junior college career.
The staff also wants to take a look at rising sophomore
Brantwon Bowser, another J.C. youngster, who is listed behind rising redshirt junior
Kent Richardson at field corner.
Rising sophomore
Pat Lazear will move into Magro's role;
Anthony Leonard, a rising redshirt-sophomore, will get first team looks at middle linebacker. Rising senior MLB
Reed Williams is out for the spring recuperating from shoulder surgery.
Sidney Glover, a sophomore, will fill into Wicks' spot with redshirt sophomore
Justin Blankenship behind him.
Richardson and boundary corner
Ellis Lankster shift into the spots which former corners Vaughn, Williams, and Lewis shared.
"We're down (eight starting) scholarships over there which is why we signed so many defensive players to scholarships in February," Casteel said.
"This staff-for the most part--they don't know those guys. You have young guys coming up; kids who can play. You have new position coaches at some of the spots. Some kids respond well to this. They blossom under the new guy who might decide 'he's going to play," said Dwight Wallace, a former Don Nehlen assistant head coach and veteran analyst on the MSN broadcasts.
Gray-shirt freshman nose tackle
Junius Lewis and redshirt junior
Archie Sims at strongside linebacker also are listed on the preliminary depth chart, released last Wednesday by the sports communications staff.
******
The annual NFL Pro Day comes to the Caperton Indoor Practice Facility on Thursday, March 13, the day before spring ball begins. Administrators, coaches and scouts representing every NFL team will combine former Mountaineers, including but not limited to Darius Reynaud, Owen Schmitt, Adam Bednarik, Wicks, Rivers, Williams, Lewis, Magro, and +#!*%. Steve Slaton, Mundy and Dingle may also join their class. . . . Schmitt, Reynaud, Slaton, and Dingle worked out at the Feb. 18-26 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. In the key 40-yard dash, Schmitt's average time was 4.7 seconds; Reynaud's was 4.47, Slaton's was 4.44, and Dingle's was 4.86. They were invited to the combine along with 333 eligible college players. About 230 of this group is expected to be drafted. . . . The NFL draft occurs April 26-27 in New York City.
*******
West Virginia Depth Chart
Defense
(classes reflect football eligibility)
DT Scooter Berry (rSo.), Doug Slavonic (rSr.), Joe Rhein (rFr.)
NT Chris Neild (rSo.), Josh Taylor (rFr.), Lewis (Fr.)
DE Zac Cooper (rJr.), Julian Miller, rFr.), Larry Ford (Jr.)
SLB Pat Lazear (So.), Archie Sims (rJr.)
MLB Reed Williams (injured), Leonard (rSo.)
WLB Mortty Ivy (rSr.), J.T. Thomas (rSo.)
CB Richardson (rJr.), Bowser (So.)
SS Glover (So.), Blankenship (rSo.)
FS Allen (Jr.), Sowers (rJr.)
BS Quinton Andrews (rJr.), Charles Pugh (Sr.)
CB Ellis Lankster (Jr.), Guesly Dervil (Jr.)
P Pat McAfee (Sr.), Scott Kozlowski (Sr.)
LSN Adam Hughes (rSr.), Cody Nutter (rFr.)
PR TBD
A bunch of freaking idiots....
